It’s time again for “Before the Jam, Lend a Hand”!

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Saturday, December 12 will mark the 27th Annual Christmas Jam, presented by Warren Haynes. To date, the Christmas Jam has raised more than $1.8m for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, building houses and neighborhoods for hard-working low income Buncombe County families in need of safe, decent and affordable homes.

As in previous years, Habitat will again host local and out-of-town volunteers for Before the Jam, Lend a Hand. In the days leading up to the benefit concert, fans get involved – in a hands on way – with the cause that the Jam supports. Volunteers help both in the ReStore and on the construction site; on site, the volunteers help on various houses under construction, but some help to prepare the floor system and build the walls that will be raised at the Christmas Jam House wall-raising event on December 11th.

In our ReStore, we had Bryan Prim, Rich Granaas and Shawn Crisholm volunteering all day to make improvements to our well-worn conference room. They painted the room and removed carpet in preparation for new laminate flooring. Over a catered lunch from Village Wayside Bar & Grille, one of the lunch sponsors of the event, Shawn explained what led her and Rich to volunteer.

“We have been fans of Warren Haynes’ music forever, and we came to Asheville for the music,” she said (they recently moved here from Virginia). “This is our first time getting to volunteer with Habitat, though.”

It was this love of the music that led them to volunteering, and they even have a block on an online radio station dedicated solely to the music of Warren Haynes.

“We’ve been to the Jam before and we love the show and it’s for such a great cause,” Shawn said. “We’re really thankful that Habitat does this.”

The event is not just a way for music fans to get involved, but also a means for potentially new volunteers to begin with us at Asheville Area Habitat. Bryan Prim, while new to the area, has volunteered with another Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Pensacola, FL, where he racked up over 100 hours with them.

“When I moved, I looked to continue volunteering here,” Bryan said. “I believe in the cause.”

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Middle School Student Wins 3D Printing Contest!

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On Saturday, December 5th, the Asheville Habitat ReStore announced the winner of its 2nd annual “Habitat for the Holidays: 3D Printed Ornament Contest”, kicking off sales of the 3D printed winning design in the store. Jacob Whitten, a 7th grade student at Enka Middle School, was named this year’s winner out of more than 60 entries. He won a free 3D print of his design and had the choice of either a $100 ReStore gift card or a 3Doodler, a pen that prints in 3D. (He chose the latter.) His winning design is for sale for $5 per ornament at the Habitat ReStore, while supplies last. All proceeds of ReStore sales help support Habitat’s building programs.

Whitten submitted his design as an assignment in his “Project Lead the Way” class at Enka Middle School. A national provider of science, technology, engineering, and math programs, Project Lead the Way courses are designed to prepare students for a post-secondary education and careers in the global economy (pltw.org). In his submission, Whitten wrote that his ornament should be chosen “because of its spirit” and includes “the very special Peace House, to show the homes by Habitat for Humanity”. His ornament, depicting a snowman next to the house with mountains in the background, showcased the themes of the holidays in WNC and Habitat for Humanity, a requirement of the contest.

The fairly new contest is gaining attention: with only a handful of entries its first year, this year marked a surprising uptick with more than 60 entries. Although marketed both locally and nationally, most design submissions remained local, ranging from students to retirees.

A panel of judges objectively critiqued each ornament based on printability, creativity, aesthetics, and the theme relating to Habitat for Humanity and the holidays in Western North Carolina. Amateur designers were encouraged to enter the contest, and Spectra3D Technologies, the local 3D printing company sponsoring the contest, held a live webinar and posted links to free training and software resources on the contest’s webpage.

Next year’s submission timeline will run from October 1st until Thanksgiving. Check back here for details!

From Finance to the Fix-It Shop: Three Volunteers Find Their Niche in the Large Appliance Repair Area

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By Jonathan Dermid

Typically, when someone first enters the ReStore, some of the first items on display are our large appliances. A common question might be, “they look nice, but do they work?” Here at the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore, we individually test them to make sure they are in top shape!

Helping to clean, repair (if necessary), and prepare these appliances for sale is the large appliance team of Joe Kane (L), Bill Crownover (C) and Sid Finkel (R). They typically won’t be found out on the sales floor though, as they toil away in the repair area in the basement, checking out everything from refrigerators to ranges.

“Joe and I both started about the same time, back when the store was still downtown, and we started working on the delivery trucks,” Bill said.

Bill and Joe bonded quickly, and their mutual enjoyment of cycling led to another volunteer assignment in the store. “He and I have done a lot of cycling together, so we had a lot of fun fixing bikes. But bikes have kind of peaked out and there became a greater need for testing and repairing large appliances,” Bill said.

When Sid began volunteering, the diligent repairing of appliances really picked up. “Before Sid came along, we kind of just sold them as-is.” Bill said. This diligence shows, and Sid takes pride in the condition of the appliances that go out onto the showroom floor. “They’re reliable appliances, and they’re tested and clean,” Sid said. “When someone buys an appliance from the ReStore, they can be sure they’re getting something that works.”

Interestingly, none of the three men come from a background of repairs, but backgrounds of finance-related careers, from investment banking in New York to the North Carolina Department of Revenue. “It’s interesting that we all come from different backgrounds,” Joe said. “I think there’s an attraction about Habitat and you get to meet all kinds of different people in the process.”

Perhaps the most common thread between the volunteers is their dedication to Habitat for Humanity, allowing them to take pride in not only their repair work, but the mission of Habitat as well.

“It’s a win-win-win situation in a lot of ways,” Sid said. “We raise money for the cause, we repair appliances that might be otherwise thrown out, and we put them back in the system for people who might not be able to afford new appliances.”

Joe shares these sentiments, and has a personal motivation to help others achieve their goal of affordable housing. “The first time I ever heard about Habitat for Humanity, I thought it was just a great concept. Providing a person with the opportunity to own a house in a good neighborhood really struck my fancy,” he said. My parents struggled very hard for a house, and when we finally got it, it was a great feeling; and it’s a great feeling knowing that I can help someone else have that.”

If you’re interested in volunteer with Asheville Area Habitat, please click here to learn more.